For The Love of Tennis: Alternative Fibre

First, hemorrhoids a history lesson: Tennis was derived from from a sport called “real tennis” or “royal tennis”. The ball can bounce off the walls, double bounce on either side of the net and generally, has a laundry list of complicated rules that I can’t even name. It can still be played on 43 surviving courts around the world, however, the majority of tennis players around the globe have decided to move on to our modern version of tennis.

The main difference between the two versions of tennis that I am interested in is the tennis ball. Unlike todays modern, hollow, yellow felt balls, the sport of real tennis plays with a denser, usually white ball. This real tennis ball is handmade. The core is cork and is then wrapped in a fabric tape. The ball is then covered with melton cloth and stitched closed.

Upon acquiring a real tennis ball, I decided to take it apart. Below is an image of my woven work: linen warp and real tennis ball fabric tape weft.